I Put a Spell on You
by The Big Black Panther
Summary: In the not-quite sequel to the one-shot "Puppy Love," Beast Boy and Raven's relationship continues to develop as the no-longer-teen Titans face down an enemy from centuries past. Being the Titans, the threat is obviously dispatched with relative ease. However... something worse is lurking. Rated for paranoia and approximately one cuss word (so far).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm calling this a sequel to my one-shot 'Puppy Love,' but you shouldn't need to have read it to get this one! It is, however, a cute tale of BB and Rae beginning their relationship, so you should check it out anyway.**

**P.S. (Spoiler) They fight a ghost wizard during this story- to see the Ghost Wizard upon which I based the appearance of this character, visit /archives/comic/11p26/ . (Also, go to the archives and start reading the comic from the beginning, because it's my favorite and entirely hilarious!) The Ghost Wizard of the comic is not the same person as the 'Aaron Burr' I reference, and virtual cookie to the first person who actually knows who that is!**

**P.P.S. I own neither Teen Titans, nor the Ghost Wizard from Dr. McNinja referenced in the post-script above. Plus, I borrowed some puns from the internet. Also, all ghost related lore mentioned is not true even by Supernatural standards- I'm well aware. Just… Just give me a break, okay? I like it better this way.**

**I Put a Spell on You**

Beast Boy staggered downstairs, his mop of dark green hair messy and disheveled. It was much too early in the morning for him to be awake, but such was the price to pay for dating a girl who rose with the sun. He'd slept in Raven's room the night before- completely innocently, of course! They'd just been talking, and he'd fallen asleep on the floor. When she woke up, she'd unintentionally awoken him as well- by stepping on him. He'd rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but eventually he'd given up and slunk downstairs after her.

Yawning, he flopped down onto the couch with a groan. It was seven in the morning- he hadn't been up before nine in years. He didn't even know what was on TV this early. Or where the remote was, but that was an entirely different problem.

Maybe he could go back to sleep now, he mused, stretching out on the couch and closing his eyes. He was more comfortable than he'd been on the floor, and it was peaceful down here. Plus, he'd get woken up once things actually started happening and the other Titans came downstairs. He'd have to run upstairs and put on a shirt rather than just start going about his day, but still. This could work… He was already drifting off.

He started awake, feeling a pressure on his chest, and his green eyes flew open to find Raven slipping down on top of him, smirking slightly. She folded her hands over his chest, resting her chin on them, purple eyes meeting his. He grinned, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face and then settling his hand on her lower back. She was out of uniform and cloak-less (though still wearing blue), opting instead for a long sleeve t-shirt and low-rise jeans.

"You're feeling friendly this morning," he observed, suddenly feeling giddy rather than lethargic.

Raven replaced her hands on either side of him, pulling herself slightly forward and straightening her arms so she was leaning over him, short purple hair falling out from behind her ears and narrowing both their fields of vision to only each other. "You actually got up. I felt like I should reward you."

Beast Boy wrinkled his brow indecisively, deciding whether he should do what was ethically right and admit he'd been going back to sleep, or just take his "reward" and kiss her right then.

Raven grinned slightly, knowing his thoughts (and having done this partially to keep him from going back to sleep as she'd known he was about to), and leaned in to kiss him lightly. "You should-"

"Yo! BB, are you up? I am ready to do some hard core gaming!"

Raven quickly jumped back to the other end of the couch, pulling her knees in to her chest and blushing furiously as Cyborg plopped in between them, grabbing the remote out from between the couch cushions. Beast Boy narrowly retracted his legs from the middle cushion before his partially-robotic best friend could sit on them.

"Why're you up so early?" Cyborg asked, flipping the channel and grabbing the controllers off of the coffee table, handing one to Beast Boy. He seemed oblivious to the shifter's glower and the sorceress's embarrassment. "I was planning on just getting in a solo round- maybe beatin' your high score- but when I went past your room I saw you weren't in there."

"I was, erm, _unceremoniously awoken_ at an ungodly hour this morning. And please, like you could ever beat my high score." Beast Boy glanced over at Cyborg. "What game are we playing, anyway?"

"Wait. Are you telling me you are so cocky as to think I couldn't beat your high score when you don't even know what the dang game is?"

"Well, obviously I'm a much better gamer than you are, so…"

"Like heck you are!"

"Yes. Like heck I am."

"You little-"

"Hey now, no need to be dissing on me just because I'm shorter and skinnier than you! You're a freaking…"

The sounds of bickering and video game music faded as Raven slipped away from the scene, berating herself silently. That had been entirely impulsive, and entirely silly, seeing as anyone could have- and did- walk in on them. She and Beast Boy had been dating for nearly two months, but she was still quite uncomfortable with public displays of affection- something that she knew bothered him just a little, since he really just wanted to drag her up onto a table in the middle of a shopping mall food court, kiss her, and declare victoriously to the observing dozens that he, Beast Boy, was dating Raven.

Preoccupied within her thoughts, Raven didn't notice Starfire approaching from the opposite end of the hallway until the alien had thrown her arms around her in a hug. "What a glorious sunrise Robin and I observed this morning! You and Beast Boy are going to watch it tomorrow? It is most romantic!"

Star spun Raven around in a circle, giggling. Once she allowed Raven's feet to touch the floor again, the anti-social twenty-year-old twisted out of her grip, somewhat out of breath from the tightness of Starfire's hug. "I'm glad you had fun, Star," Raven managed, setting a hand on gently on her lower ribs, trying to figure out if she was bruised. "But the only reason Beast Boy is even up today is because I accidently stepped on him. There's no way I can get him up again tomorrow at sunrise."

Raven instantly regretted that statement, not wanting to make Star jump to conclusions over why Beast Boy had been in her room, but it went unnoticed by the Tamaranean as she became aware of Raven's clothing. "You do not wear your cloak? Your legs also look most peculiar…" she leaned over until her eyes were level with Raven's knees, peering curiously at the denim.

"I'm wearing pants," Raven replied irritably, pulling Star back upright. "In case you hadn't noticed, spandex is uncomfortable, and Robin, Beast Boy, and I have begun wearing it less and less."

"Spandex is not what you humans normally wear?"

Raven stared at her blankly. "Have you ever seen someone who was not a superhero and/or supervillain wearing spandex as their everyday clothing?"

"I have… not…"

"You have found your own answer."

"When did I lose-"

BEEEEP. BEEEEP. BEEEEP. Red lights flashed, alerting the Titans of a crime occurring within their city.

"Hold that thought!" Raven shouted, skirting around Starfire and racing toward her room. Too little time to change, but at least she could grab her cloak. And a shirt for Beast Boy, since he'd probably forget to grab one for himself.

The crime in Jump City had dropped severely over the years; the Titans' powers had grown over the years, lending strength to an already potent team-up, and they had expunged a large number of villains over the years. Perhaps they were a little out of practice, rarely fighting more than one villain a week; or perhaps this ghostly wizard "Aaron Burr" was simply extremely powerful and determined to possess the mayor in order to take over Jump City.

Either way, the Titans were getting their butts kicked.

Beast Boy dove behind an overturned table in the middle of City Hall, skidding to a stop next to Robin. "Who is this guy?" he panted, looking over at his leader. "I can't even land a blow on him. Star's bolts are barely phasing him. Honestly, it seems like Rae's the only one scoring solid hits."

"He's a ghost, Beast Boy. We're only attacking his physical presence; Star is at least messing with his energy, but Raven can attack his essence." Robin straightened slightly, looking over the edge of their table. He ducked a spell, squatting again. "Protect Raven. I'm going to find Cyborg and try to get the Mayor out of here." He leapt the table, flipping over one spell and batting a second away with his staff, gone in an instant.

Beast Boy made a more surreptitious exit, transforming into a mouse and scurrying across the floor. He followed the flow of black power towards Raven, wondering how exactly he was supposed to protect her when she was the only one who could fight the ghost wizard. Throw himself in the way of a spell meant for her?

She was in the center of the room, engaged in a furious, tornado-like duel with the ghost wizard- a long, thin, white specter with a tall, wide brimmed blue hat covered in yellow stars. He looked like the typical ghost a child would dress up as for Halloween, with blank black eyes and pure white ectoplasm. From his wispy arms- lacking defined hands- he shot bolts of various colored lights, spells of unknown origin and effect. Raven met them with her own spells, reaching deep into her arsenal and nearly launching into the next words of power before she'd ever finished the ones previous.

Beast Boy dodged a yellow beam, glancing over his shoulder to see the chair it hit pop out of existence. A shiver ran from his whiskers to his tail tip. What could he possibly do for her? Breaking her concentration would be worse than simply leaving her be.

"SORCERESS! DARK GODDESS OF MAGIC!" The wizard shrieked, throwing up a shield of energy to block a tendril trying to sneak around and grab him from behind. "YOU STAND IN THE WAY OF MY PLOT, FOUL WITCH! I MAY HAVE BEEN THWARTED IN NEW ENGLAND TWO CENTURIES AGO, BUT I WILL NOT TAKE THIS NOW! THIS CITY WILL BE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD MY EMPIRE!"

The guy- ghost- was nuts. Completely nuts. Beast Boy only hoped the thing's unpleasant voice wouldn't distract Raven. He spotted Starfire on the other side of the room, disentangling herself from a series of vines that appeared to have sprouted from the ground. The frustration on her face suggested they were stronger than the typical flora. Robin and Cyborg were slipping out a side door, Cyborg carrying the unconscious mayor and Robin shepherding a group of secretaries and lawyers and bureaucrats ahead of him. Beast Boy shifted anxiously, torn between disobeying Robin and going to help Starfire, and remaining where he was, uselessly.

He looked up, at Raven's swirling cloak and glowing eyes, and suddenly realized she was getting tired. He shouldn't have known. There was no slowing of her chanting, no slowing to her arm waving. How did he… There. That spell she blocked- one of its color, three minutes earlier, had shattered into shards upon hitting her black shield, but this one was simply deflected. She had no energy to destroy them anymore.

She needed help, but who could help her?

Beast Boy twitched his whiskers, staring anxiously at the ghost. _How do I defeat a ghost? Think, Beast Boy, think! Hearken back to all those Supernatural reruns you watched on CBS last Wednesday! Was it… something to do with… slugs?_

_Salt!_ You could defeat a ghost the same way you defeat a slug. With salt. But there was no salt in a mayor's office! What else?

_Iron._ His eyes lighted on the big, showy fireplace on the right wall, where a long, showy iron poker hung decoratively next to the mantel. No time to be subtle. His body morphed, but his eyes stayed locked on the poker, his muscles- now lithe and feline- rippling as he sped across the room. He skidded to a stop next to it, shifting back into a human (opposable thumbs were necessary for taking pokers down from pegs) and ducking the spells suddenly coming his way.

"RAE!"

Beast Boy's shout shattered her concentration the way Aaron Burr's yells hadn't, causing her to stutter over her spell. She ducked the spell she was then unable to block, turning to glare at Beast Boy. What was he thinking?

He tossed something long, thin, and grey towards her, yelling something unintelligibly and waving at the ghost wizard. He was caught in the stomach by a spell, breath suddenly whooshing out as he doubled over. Raven winced, praying he wasn't too badly hurt, but found herself with no real time to worry about him. She dove, both to dodge another spell and to catch the thing Beast Boy had thrown, wondering what was so important. A poker? What did he expect her to do, tend a-

_Iron_.

Her face split into a grin, and she snatched it up, scrambling back to her feet. Her hand glowed black; the poker mimicked as she transferred a small part of herself to it. It flew like an arrow from her pale hand, skewering the ghost wizard mid-spell. He was pinned to the wall, corporeal form fading slowly. He murmured something, and Raven moved closer, straining to catch the last few words.

"Secession… isn't… dead…"

And then he was gone, leaving only a trail of destruction and an iron poker sticking out of the wall. Starfire finally freed herself from the vines, beaming over at Raven. But the cloaked young woman was not looking in her direction.

Raven threw her arms around Beast Boy, releasing a rare laugh. "You're a genius!"

"Witness the miracle, ladies and gents, Raven has admitted that I have a degree of intelligence," Beast Boy laughed, kissing her lightly.

She quickly disengaged, cheeks turning pink. She caught the brief flash of disappointment in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by their typical sparkle.

Further awkwardness was saved as Robin threw the door back open, staff extended before him as he prepared to fend off spells. He straightened, realizing the fight was over. "Good work, Raven," he stated, grinning at his purple-eyed teammate.

"Your praises belong to Beast Boy, Robin," Starfire informed him, solemnly, stepping carefully across the broken wood and pieces of rubble created by the battle. "Raven has even paid him the compliment of intelligence for his help."

"Really?" Robin turned to Beast Boy as if appraising him, grinning still.

"No need to sound so surprised," Beast Boy sniffed, stepping around him. "I'd like to go shake hands with the mayor now."

Raven covered her smile with one hand, imagining the look on the mayor's face as Beast Boy asked him questions along the lines of "Do you know where Area 51 is?" The old mayor had grown used to it, over the years, whenever they'd come into contact with him, but this one was new. Unused to Beast Boy's antics. Tall, serious, with blue eyes magnified by extremely thick glasses lenses- in other words, not the kind of person who would know who the Powerpuff Girls were, much less what their phone number was so Beast Boy could prank call them.

"We should… follow him…" Robin muttered, thoughts obviously following the same line as Raven's. He appeared less amused, though.

"I don't understand why he wouldn't come get pizza with us," Beast Boy complained, allowing Raven to steer him out of City Hall by the elbow. "I only asked because he looked hungry!"

"You asked him if he considered meat to be murder and then offered to buy him the super-special vegetarian deluxe pizza to convert him into vegetarianism." She deadpanned, pulling him down a side street.

"I swear it must be enchanted, it's addictive!" Beast Boy protested, speeding up to keep up with her brisk pace. He looked around, suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings. "Hey, we're not headed to the pizza place. Or back to the Tower."

"I know." Raven glanced over at him, a smile hovering at the edges of her lips.

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow, meeting her eyes curiously. "Then where are we going?"

"I… honestly don't know," she admitted, ducking her head slightly embarrassedly. "I just thought we could get some time alone. Maybe go to a-"

Beast Boy slid his elbow out of her grip, spinning around to face her, walking backwards. "I have an idea. You trust me?"

"That depends," Raven said, slowly, not quite trusting the grin on his face, "on where you plan on taking me, and whether or not I'm going to enjoy it. I will not go to a skating rink with you."

Beast Boy laughed, grabbing her hand and dragging her along behind him. "As fun as that would be, I do not intend to embarrass you. The place I have in mind is very peaceful, rather secluded- you're not going to feel out of place."

Close to wherever he was leading her, he slowed his pace and set a hand over her eyes. "I feel like this should be some kind of reveal," he laughed, guiding her around the last corner. "I kind of doubt you even know where we are, but I actually come here a lot. Or, well, as much as I go anywhere that's not the Tower. But it's very beautiful, and it's better at twilight, but it's still great at this time of the day, and-"

"You're rambling," she told him, grinning as she knew he couldn't see it, feeling him at her back.

Beast Boy laughed quietly, dropping his hand from her eyes. "Here we are."

"We… are at a park?" Raven looked over at him and saw the excitement on his face. She refrained from further comment, not wanting to insult his choice of venue but wondering at it anyway. It was a nice little park, with a bench on the far side and a small koi pond, and she did have to admit that she hadn't known it was here. But it wasn't quite… where she'd expected him to take her.

"We are at a tree," Beast Boy corrected her, "with a very nice view of the park and placed just so that you can see the sunset through the buildings. Admittedly, I normally come here to throw things at people and/or eat without Cyborg stealing some of my pizza, but it's something I've noticed. Come on." He nimbly climbed up into the tree, turning to offer her a hand and pull her up.

Raven accepted, following him up into the branches. He was right, though- it was beautiful, and peaceful, and the leaves blocked them just enough for her to not feel like they were on display while still allowing them to see out. He sat on a large branch of the tall oak, a few feet above her and slightly to the right. "I like this place," he confided to her, sounding slightly smug- obviously having come to the conclusion that she liked it, too.

"Does it make you feel in contact with your primate self?" she asked, drily- no need to let his ego to inflate too much.

"Maybe," he grinned, not one to be easily dissuaded. "Or maybe I just like the fish over there in the koi pond. They're very… _fishy_."

"Which is very rare for fish."

"Absolutely, yes. Hey, do you know why Cinderella was thrown off the basketball team?"

"How did you get from koi fish to Cinderella?"

"It was a process. And Cinderella was kicked off the basketball team because she ran away from the ball." He beamed down at her, immensely proud of himself.

Raven sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know why you insist on making such terrible puns."

"Because a good pun is its own reword," he responded, smirking slightly and settling back the tree trunk.

Raven laughed despite herself, climbing up to sit in front of him, leaning back against him and pulling her knees in to her chest. She did it on an impulse, wanting to be closer to him, and felt silly for a moment as she felt him freeze. But after his moment of surprise he placed his arms around her, shifting to make her more comfortable. "You're still feeling friendly, then," he laughed.

"You're my boyfriend, should I avoid you and be moody instead?" Raven fired back defensively, blushing deeply.

"Hey now! I was making a comment, not insulting you. Nor implying that you aren't friendly on a regular basis, although let's face it you aren't."

Raven bristled, less out of offense (because let's face it, she wasn't a friendly person) and more from jealousy. Jealousy perhaps didn't seem the right word, but that's what it was; it wasn't a jealousy of any person in particular (though perhaps his past crush, Terra, featured largely into it), but of other girls in general. If he found her to be so unfriendly, what would stop him from moving on?

Beast Boy squeezed her arm lightly, sensing her distress, and continued. "I like that about you, Rae. You don't take to people for no reason, so it lets me know that the people that you like- they're the good ones." He leaned in a little closer, murmuring in her ear, "Which makes it seem all the more incredible to me that you've found yourself willing to put up with me."

She was blushing again now, but in a happy sort of way. "Beast Boy-"

"Ah, ah, ah; I'm not done. You're quiet, which means that what you have to say is important, and you're sarcastic and funny. Which, you can probably guess, is something I value- being a hilarious guy myself-" Raven snorted. "Shut it, I'm complimenting you. You're intelligent, and powerful- you could totally kick my butt in a fair fight- and you have such incredible willpower that I can barely comprehend it. I'm not the most… _controlled _person, and I find you awe-inspiring. Where I yell, or lash out, or do something else incredibly stupid, you pause, and take it all in, and you do the right thing." He paused and she could nearly hear him grinning. "Plus, you're both mysterious and incredibly hot, which are both major turn-ons."

"Beast Boy!" Raven elbowed him, though she couldn't help but grin. She shifted onto her feet, carefully, and turned slowly. He kept his hands poised to catch her, nervously watching her progress (and extremely unsure of what she was doing). She sat back down, facing him with her knees on either side of him. She met his eyes, smiling in that small, sincere way she had, and leaned forward to kiss him, one hand on the side of his face. His hands slid to her slender waist, holding her close. She pulled back, leaning her forehead against his, and murmured, "Thank you for saying all of those things."

"Never doubt the way I feel about you, Rae," Beast Boy told her, returning to his serious demeanor. "And don't underestimate yourself- I know you do, sometimes. Now, it's your turn." He smirked. "I'm dying to hear what semi-polite things you can stand to say about me."

"Well, I would say you were funny, but I'd never hear the end of it, so I won't."

"Understandable."

Raven turned her face, staring down at the little pond, not wanting him to see her face as she spoke. It put too much pressure on her to say the right things- and jeez, she might be twenty, but she'd never really had a boyfriend. (He'd never really had a girlfriend, either.) How was she supposed to know what to say?

"You're charming," she murmured, sliding her fingers through his. "You're trustworthy, and loyal, and you have this natural, friendly demeanor that I envy sometimes. I don't warm up to people easily, and when I don't open up to them immediately they assume that I never will, or that I'm not a nice person. No one ever has that kind of doubt about you- you and your large green eyes and goofy grin, people just automatically like you. We're so opposite, you and I," she sighed, straightening to meet his eyes again. "You're open and funny and caring and impulsive, and I admire as much about you as you seem to about me. This might be nearly the only time you hear me say it, but I do."

"I don't mind." He kissed her again, pulling back to beam at her. "With you, actions speak louder than words. Unless those words are a spell, in which case I'm screwed."

"You can never leave a good moment be, can you?"

"I refuse to, in fact. Along the line of ruining a good moment, can I ask you where you got this shirt from?"

"I… wait, what?" Raven frowned at him, pulling back slightly to inspect the t-shirt in question.

"This shirt. You gave it to me this morning, before we went to fight the ghost wizard. You were walking out of your room, fastening your cloak, and you tossed it to me while I was running past to get to my room. But you hadn't really had time to go to my room before I got there; I wasn't that far behind you." He was genuinely curious, and she blushed deeply under his gaze.

"Oh… well… it got mixed in with my laundry a few weeks ago, and I just sort of… kept it."

"Well, well, well." There was a mischievous spark in his eye as he leaned forward, pushing her backwards until her back hit the branch. He set his elbows on either side of her head and hovered above her, smirking. "Do you mean to tell me that you've been sleeping in one of my old t-shirts?"

Raven rolled her eyes- though her blush told him he'd hit the mark- and shoved him irritably. She gasped a moment later, rolling over and looking down anxiously- having hit him just as she'd been shifting, she'd sent him tumbling from the tree. Beast Boy lay flat on his back, unhurt though distinctly disgruntled, and had just opened his mouth to complain at her when his stomach let out a loud, lengthy growl. Raven let out a loud, genuine laugh- and the angry retort withered under his ecstasy from making her laugh.

Beast Boy beamed up at Raven, watching her slip down nimbly and extend a hand to help him to his feet.

The young Titans joined the other members of their team at a pizza parlor downtown, accepted into the conversation immediately as they took their seats. It was a simple scene; of friendship- perhaps love, between certain members. This was a peaceful time, in their lives.

It wouldn't last.

Another scene unfolded, somewhere within Jump City; this was not one of friendship or loyalty, but of mystery, and fear. A man, tall and pale and emitting an otherworldly sort of presence, glowered down at his underling from cold, lifeless black eyes. "We have been betrayed by one of our number?"

"Y-yes, sir," the man- no, not a man, a ghost, revealed by the flicker of his spectral form- stuttered, looking up. "He deceived us all, pretending he was loyal to our cause but eventually abandoning us for his own agenda. I think, however, sir, that there is a strong possibility that his defection might play to our advantage in the coming weeks." The ghost rushed on as his master's eyes flashed with black flame. "These Titans are as formidable as rumored; the power of the purple-haired one is unquestionable, and the others- though largely ineffective against a spectral being- will be more of a problem as our army finds its vessels. But we know what we contend with, now, and- whilst they were distracted, with two rescuing a group of humans, a third trapped in vines, and the sorceress still embattled- I marked the green one. He is trusted but not respected entirely by all members of the team, though his powers are still formidable. He would be the perfect choice of vessel for you, sir."

The master's face, cold and calculating, had grown only stonier until that point- but it softened, slightly, with dark pleasure. "And they did not think to wonder where our late friend Aaron Burr had crawled out from?"

"It did not cross their minds, sir."

"So. Our enemy is familiar to us, but has no idea of our existence. I myself will ride into battle wearing the face of their friend." The man turned, clasping slightly translucent hands behind his back, and stared off into the shadows. "There is nothing more demoralizing than fighting one whom you hold dear, Lieutenant. You have done well.

"Now… tell me more of the green one."


	2. Restless Nights

**A/N: I intended for this story to be only two chapters, but as I wrote this one I realized that I was trying to pack too much into it. So instead, this thing is going to be at least three parts! Possibly four! On the upside, while it takes longer for the story to end, I will probably post quicker than other wise. Alright, a quick recap: Beast Boy and Raven are adorable. Some creepy ghost army is creepin' in on the Titans' territory. I do not own Teen Titans, otherwise it never would have gone off the air. And… GO!**

**Restless Nights**

"Glorious morning, friend!" Starfire sang, sweeping into Raven's room with a large smile on her beautiful face. "It has been a most unacceptable length of time since we have done the shopping together. I would like to ask-"

"My permission to enter my room?" Raven asked scathingly. "You would have had it, but now I'm not feeling so charitable." She felt a twinge of remorse, seeing the slender alien's face drop with sadness.

"I did not mean to intrude. I had only observed the comings and goings of our friend Beast Boy and assumed that your restriction had been lifted. My strongest apologies go out to you, Raven," Starfire concluded solemnly, green eyes averted from Raven's.

"It, well, it's a little different, with him, and you should know that I always snap at him, too." Raven rose from her cross-legged position, wistfully concluding that although she enjoyed the company of Beast Boy and the other Titans, it made it quite hard to find some time alone. She set a hand on Star's shoulder, regretting her next statement even as it began to leave her mouth. "I'd be happy to go to the mall with you, Starfire."

The alien squealed, her hurt feelings forgotten, and threw her arms around Raven in a hug. "It will be most enjoyable, friend! I will make certain you will not regret this!"

Raven pried herself loose, smiling somewhat forcefully. "Yay." She couldn't quite put feeling behind the word.

Now- that wasn't to say that shopping with Starfire couldn't be fun, nor to imply that Raven didn't like Starfire. The problem was that although Raven liked Starfire, she wasn't an overly friendly person- the friendliest she got was around her boyfriend, Beast Boy, and even he bore the brunt of a snide comment or stony silence on a semi-regular basis- and spending many hours in a row with Star, traipsing from store to store and being expected to moon over shoes, was tiresome. The redhead was just too… _giggly_.

"Just let me grab an apple to tide me over until we get back, and let Beast Boy know I'm actually leaving the Tower so he doesn't call in a search party when he doesn't find me in my room. I'll meet you downstairs in like twenty minutes." Raven slipped around Starfire, grabbing her cloak off the hook as she opened the door.

"You do not wish to eat at the court of foods?"

"Well, the food there is just-" Raven glanced back at her friend's big, soulful green eyes and demurely clasped hands, paused, and then sighed. "Fine."

Starfire clapped her hands, excitedly, floating after Raven and spouting on about all the stores she wished to go to. Raven ignored her, not having any opinions herself since she didn't really care what she wore (as long as it was blue, generally), and tried to decide where Beast Boy would be at this time of the day. His room was a strong possibility; it was only ten, and the only days he rose even moderately early were ones where he'd happened to fall asleep on the floor of her room while they were talking (which had only happened once), or they'd both fallen asleep on the couch. And then the only reason he woke up early was because he generally ended up being awoken by her getting up.

Raven turned down his hallway, knocking lightly on the door before turning the knob. "I'm going to the-" She broke off, finding the door locked tight. "Hmm."

She turned back to her alien friend, recognizing with a frown that he never locked his door. Starfire shot her a quizzical look. "He is not in his room?"

"No..."

"Then he is downstairs, playing the videogames with Cyborg?"

"I guess." Raven felt a stir of unease, though it wasn't so ridiculous to believe. He was generally up by ten-thirty, at least. She glided down the stairs rather than walk down them, turning the corner with the inexplicable expectation that she wouldn't see his mop of green hair sitting on the couch. But there it was- she breathed a sigh of relief, feet touching back down on the floor as she walked up behind him.

She set her hands on the back of the couch, looking down at him in amusement. He was half-awake, playing more on auto-pilot than anything else, and hadn't even noticed her yet. "I'm going to the mall with Starfire."

Beast Boy jumped, his character getting run through with a sword, but- and this made her a little proud of him- he didn't even complain, instead reaching up to pull her down far enough to kiss her lightly. "I'll see you later, then."

His eyes, with dark rings around them, slid back to the TV screen. He yawned, stretching, and picked the controller back up. Raven frowned slightly, knowing he'd gone to his room around eleven-thirty the night before, same time she did. "What time did you wake up this morning?"

Beast Boy paused before hitting the button to restart his game, turning to face her with a sheepish look on his face. "I might have, um, had some really weird dreams last night, woken up at three, not been able to get back to sleep, and come downstairs to play videogames instead?"

"Go get some sleep," she admonished, straightening.

"I promise."

"You're lying," she sighed.

"Yes. Yes, I am." He returned to his game, laughing, and Raven rolled her eyes and went to join Star, who was bouncing up and down with excitement next to the door.

"What about-"

"No."

"But this one-"

"No."

"Raven, this shirt-"

"Is pink." Raven turned a stoic face and cool purple eyes onto a crestfallen Starfire, who resignedly placed the frilly blouse back onto the clearance rack. "You can try it on, if you want."

"It does not go with my hair." Starfire rifled through the other shirts, eventually coming away empty-handed. "I do not like any of these clothes."

"Maybe it would help if we left the clearance rack," Raven said drily, though she fully understood why Starfire wasn't looking at the full-price clothes; being a superhero wasn't bad money, as they had been put on the same payroll as the police, but most of that money tended to be funneled back into their various gadgets and Tower upkeep rather than shopping.

It was now twelve-thirty, and Raven was getting tired of wandering from shop to shop and leaving with nothing to show. Starfire had bought a few items, but Raven- despite her lack of being picky- had come up empty. It was the end of summer- which meant that bright, cheerful summer clothes were on the clearance racks and dark blue was scarce.

"You are not having fun, Raven," Star fire observed, looking over at her friend's empty hands. "I thank you for coming and attempting to have fun; shall we at least stop for the cream of ice on our journey home to the Tower?" Starfire smiled, and Raven felt a pang of shame that she wasn't able to let go and have fun with her only female friend.

"We can definitely do that, Starfire. I really am sorry… I'm just not a shopping person." She hadn't said this much to Starfire in a while, Raven realized. She'd been spending all of her time either alone or with Beast Boy. "Maybe… we could watch a movie tomorrow night, just you and I?"

Starfire beamed, sliding an arm through Raven's and leading her off. "It is a plan."

The two Titans picked their way down Main Street, each with an ice cream cone in hand. Starfire kept up most of the conversation, buzzing with her typical energy, but Raven smiled once or twice and supplied the occasional comment or snark. It was much more fun than the shopping had been; Raven didn't even begrudge Starfire the slight meander in their path to draw out their walk.

A cool breeze whipped through the air, heralding the coming of fall and ruffling the girls' hair. Raven turned her face, drawing a stray strand away from her mouth, and caught sight of a teenage girl across the street. There wasn't anything particularly strange about her, but Raven felt a twinge of unease as the girl's brown eyes stared almost lifelessly back.

She looked away, swallowing hard, and tuned back in to Starfire's description of her latest date with Robin. The two, cheerful alien and serious leader, had begun dating years before Raven and Beast Boy, and had long settled into a comfortable rhythm. They were deeply in love and often seemed as if they were married the way they carried themselves- rarely going out on legitimate dates, showing their love through everyday affections rather than passionate embraces or immense shows of jealousy. However, Robin still sometimes managed to surprise his girlfriend and take her out for a night of adventure, though he generally was more focused on training and taking care of the team.

Raven couldn't help but notice certain of the people they passed, more of them with the lifeless looks to their eyes. Her sense of foreboding grew- but she dismissed it as a symptom of her typical anti-social mentality.

Upon return to the Tower, Raven found Beast Boy asleep on the couch, drooling and with the video game controller held loosely in one hand. Raven pried it gently out of his hand, saving his game for him before she turned off the TV. Starfire had already headed toward the roof, where Robin and Cyborg were probably training, and Raven was about to follow her (and let Beast Boy get his sleep) when her green-skinned companion rolled over, groaning. She looked back, about to advise him to go sleep, and realized he still was. His eyes darted beneath his eyelids, a sign he was dreaming, but something suggested to her that it wasn't a good one. Raven reached out a hand, tentatively shaking him awake.

Beast Boy shot up, jumping away from her with a shout, a look of wild fear on his face- and then his surroundings registered, and he relaxed, laughing with relief. "Jeez, Rae, you really startled me."

"Beast Boy, are you-"

"I'll meet you on the roof; aren't we supposed to be training by now? I should change." He kissed her lightly on the forehead and jogged up the stairs.

"…alright?" Raven murmured, staring after him with her brow furrowed.

Robin pushed his team hard. He always did; it was his job to make sure they were prepared for any villain which came into the city. Raven and Starfire were battling on the far end of the roof, black and green struggling for dominance as they both breathed heavily. That was more than satisfactory; the girls had long since decided that they were well-matched against each other and given up on trying not to hurt each other. They now just wanted to see who would win each day- he believed the score sheet looked something like: Raven 1,147-1,249 Starfire. Considering the number of times they'd fought, the 102 matches Starfire had on Raven was trivial. Cyborg, on the other hand, was running himself through another of those complex obstacle courses he'd created- one designed to use a set of approximately fifty different obstacles in random combinations of three, so that he was never sure what he was going to be facing. Robin had no qualms about his practicing that way.

No, the only thing that was bugging him that afternoon was Beast Boy. He and the green haired shape shifter were sparring (hand-to-hand, no weapons or powers involved), and while he did ordinarily win these bouts, he seemed to be getting an inordinate number of hits that day. He feinted, threw a kick- Beast Boy blocked, though somewhat belatedly. Robin slipped a foot past his defenses, hooking it around his knee and sending him sprawling to the ground.

Robin towered over the groaning green shapeshifter, frowning heavily. "What's up with you today?"

"I ate some bad clams."

"You're a vegetarian."

"They were… tofu clams?"

"Are you seriously trying to tell me you eat tofu clams."

"They're normally very tasty. It's just, these ones were stale."

"Beast Boy-"

Robin had his feet swept out from under him as Beast Boy leapt to his feet, grinning down at him. "Maybe I was baiting you." He extended a hand, pulling Robin back to his feet.

"You weren't. You'd have had a better lie planned."

"You give me too much credit."

Robin studied Beast Boy with narrowed eyes. "Seriously. What's going on? Is it something with you and Raven? Did she not laugh at one of your puns, or something?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "A- she never laughs at my puns. And B- I've just been having a hard time sleeping, okay? I'm feeling a little out of it."

"Well, just-" Robin cut off as a large explosion rocked the Tower. They both spun around to see Raven and Starfire standing in the middle of a small crater, each with a hand outstretched. Apparently they'd each thrown a little too much power into their measures against each other.

"Maybe they should stop fighting each other," Beast Boy observed, glancing over at Robin.

The leader raised an eyebrow back. "You want to fight either of them?"

"Well…"

"I didn't think so." He motioned the Titans to him, as Cyborg was just finishing his run through the obstacle course, and called practice for the day. "Back to your lives, people! Today is not our day; we're either going to hurt each other-" he shot the girls a look- "tire ourselves out-" he turned the look on Cyborg, who was drenched in sweat and panting heavily- "or just get nothing out of this at all." His last glance was directed at Beast Boy, who looked miffed rather than shamed. "So let's just go about our normal days, alright?"

"Finally, some time to meditate," Raven muttered.

The other Titans dispersed, though Robin stayed to train a little more on his own. It was cathartic to him, and the way Beast Boy had been avoiding his questions made him more than a little uneasy; he needed to unwind.

_Thwack._

Was it a pride thing?

_Grunt._

Was he having nightmares and didn't want Robin to know?

_Thump._

Was the "not sleeping" just a lie?

_Swish._

Had he been up all night snogging Raven? Was that it?

Robin paused, catching the punching bag and dropping his staff to the floor. No, Raven would have been in a much better mood that morning. The sleeping thing was probably true- the only question was what was going on. Was it his- no, the anniversary of his parents' deaths was months away. Robin shook off the questions burning inside of him, resolving to ask Beast Boy about it later. He returned to wailing on the punching bag, grunts of exertion escaping him every few moments.

An hour passed, and Robin trudged downstairs, glancing at the clock. Only six. He sighed, heading straight to the fridge for a bottle of water. He sipped it carefully, not wanting to puke by drinking too much at once, and turned to look out over the living room. Starfire, in a chair on one side of the room, cheered on Beast Boy and Cyborg as they raced head to head in Mario Kart (Beast Boy was, of course, Yoshi, since they were both green), and Raven sat in between the two boys, reading and ignoring the world, apparently done with her meditation. It was nice to see her out there with them, even if she wasn't participating.

She'd come out of her shell, the past few years, as first her friendship with Beast Boy and later her relationship with him had brought her an overall sunnier outlook on life- even if "sunny" for her was still full of dry wit and exasperated glares, it was still an improvement. He hadn't exactly approved at first when they'd begun dating, as both of them had terrible records in that department- evil dragons and turncoat blondes were just the beginning- as well as a propensity for high tempers. However, things seemed to be going quite well- and it wasn't like he could've told them not to, since he was dating Star.

He looked over at his beautiful alien girlfriend, smiling slightly. She was so enthusiastic about everything; he could guarantee that she had no idea which of the two guys was winning at any moment, but she didn't care. She was just having fun- something he, personally, was bad at.

He shook off the slightly dark thought- it wasn't like he didn't know how to enjoy himself at all- and joined the rest of the Titans, sitting on the arm of Starfire's chair. Cyborg was winning, and Starfire might have had a better grasp on the game than he'd thought, since she was urging Beast Boy to catch up.

"Yes! Hit him with the turtle shell! No- the other one! You cannot aim with the green-"

"Star! I'm concentrating!" Beast Boy yelled, as into the game as she was.

"Yeah, concentrating on getting your butt whooped! Booyah!" Cyborg crossed the finish line with an exultant look on his face, leaping onto the coffee table to perform his war dance.

Beast Boy crossed in third and flopped back, cursing good-naturedly. "Well played, sir." He stood, shaking hands with Cyborg- a ritual that had both of them fighting to keep straight faces as they exchanged mild-mannered congratulations and best wishes.

"Hey, Rob, you wanna grab a controller and play a round?" Cyborg tossed a remote over to the dark-haired martial artist, grinning. "I promise I'll take it easy on you."

"Me, too!" Beast Boy added, elbowing Cyborg with a playful scowl.

"Nah, man, you don't have to. You ain't good enough at this game to beat Robin even if you tried."

"Jerk."

"Butt-"

"You can both try your best," Robin interrupted, taking the seat Raven offered as she instead floated cross-legged to the right of the couch, "but I'll beat both of you hands down."

"Oh, it is on like-"

"Robin, please be Donkey Kong because then this would be perfect."

"Deal."

The night wore on- Robin won that round, Beast Boy won the next. Starfire retired to her bedroom after getting confused when the boys switched to playing teams (with Cyborg and Robin on the opposite team from Beast Boy). Raven took her chair. Cyborg left next, needing to recharge his batteries. Finally, although he'd been intending to wait for Raven to go to sleep and ask Beast Boy about whatever it was that had been keeping him up, Robin admitted defeat and headed to sleep himself. Raven moved back to the couch, still reading, and Beast Boy switched to playing some shoot 'em up game.

By eleven-thirty, Beast Boy had his feet on the back of the couch and was on his back, head hanging off the couch as he played (he was still surprisingly good like this). Raven finally put up her book, sprawling across the couch and putting her feet on his stomach. "Aren't you tired?" she yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. "You've been up for almost twenty-one hours now."

"Not really. Okay, well, yes, but it's that stage of tired where you know you could go to sleep if you tried but you're not really feeling it." Yet at that moment, the controller slipped out of his hand and hit him in the face. "Ow."

Raven snorted. "You're feeling it."

"Maybe a little."

"Come on." She removed her feet, flipped off the TV, and rose to her feet, yawning widely. He grumbled complaints, but she pulled him to his feet and put one of his arms around her shoulders to lead him up to his room. He unlocked the door- making her wonder again why it had been locked- and they stumbled together through the pitch black, unable to see anything. He collapsed onto the bed once she got him there, practically falling asleep on the way down.

"Goodnight, Beast Boy," she called, pulling the door closed behind her. She heard him murmur a response, but it was nearly indecipherable through the door.

With Raven falling asleep once she got back to her own room, the whole Tower was asleep until early the next morning. But not everything was silent.

The restless rustle of sheets echoed down the long hallway- to follow it to its source revealed Beast Boy, pointed ears twitching anxiously as he tried to roll away from what he was seeing. Within his dream- his nightmare- he found himself in the shadows of a dark, abandoned building, perhaps an old industrial plant or warehouse. A man, with a dark suit and pale complexion, stood with his back to the lurking shapeshifter. There was something not quite right about the man, as if you could look right through him if you looked closely enough- and the air about him seemed to shiver with the coldness of his soul.

He spoke with a voice that was polished and old fashioned, piercing grey eyes locked on the nervous visage of a less corporeal ghost. "The army is mobilizing on schedule?"

"Yes, sir, we have brought a third of the city under our control. I have allowed a certain degree of mobility in the targets, but made certain that our most powerful and loyal members ended up within influential members of the community…" the portly little ghost swallowed hard, glancing up at his master.

Beast Boy shrank farther into the shadows, worried that he would be spotted- not that it mattered… This was just a dream…

The small ghost found his voice, asking quietly, "And your own target, sir? Has he…"

"He remains on the island." The white haired ghost turned slightly, revealing his hawkish profile to the watching green eyes. "Surrounded by salt water, where I cannot reach him. Yet we are connected- our bond grows stronger as time passes. I can feel him reaching out to me, though he does not know it. The moment he sets foot off the island, I will claim him and lie in wait until our strike is prepared. I can trust you to finish our last minute preparations?"

"I have found the location for our ceremony. The precise center of Jump City lies across two ley lines, an added bonus to the brewing supernatural energies which brought us here, and we will be able to create various distractions for the Titans until the portal is opened. At that point-"

"Shh, my servant. We have a visitor." The blue eyes locked with Beast Boy's green ones. They swept him into a dark vision of Jump City, of clutching hands and icy flames creeping across his home. In that cruel, cold voice, the tall man promised Beast Boy his part in the destruction.

"Little shapeshifter," he crooned, as Beast Boy saw the Tower crumbling below hordes of icy demons and his friends' faces twisting in terror, "your body is already promised to me, and your powers will be at my disposal as I open the portal to Hell. I- you, really- will command the demons in a march of destruction that will start with the end of the Titans…"

"Why would you want to destroy the city? What possible reason could you have?" Beast Boy asked, hope fading from his mind as those eyes continued to promise the end of his world.

"Because, dear boy, I'm dead. What reason do I need?" He turned away, hands clasping behind his back. "There was little to entertain me in the Underworld. But the demolition of this city, and the searing pain it will cause you to see your own hands helping in it? That will keep me well entertained. Imagine- your green hands closing about the throat of that purple-eyed sorceress-"

Beast Boy leapt out from the shadows, a feral cry erupting from his lips as his fingers lengthened, turning to claws, reaching for the back of the tall specter. But he connected with nothing.

He awoke with a thump, slamming into the floor as he fell out of his bed. Images of a terrible dream flitted from his mind. He groaned, well exhausted, and rolled over, the red LED display of his alarm clock alerting him that it was barely four in the morning. He could still feel his heart pounding from whatever his dream had been- he grasped for the strands of memory lurking at the back of his mind, but just as he caught them, they dissolved in his grasp. Something about… ghosts?

Then, with a start, he recalled the last few moments before he'd fallen asleep the night before. There was a strong possibility that he'd told Raven he loved her. Beast Boy buried his face in his hands, wondering if she'd heard him. The door had been closing, his voice had been muffled by pillows, and he'd been so tired there was a strong possibility it hadn't been intelligible anyway.

He hadn't meant to say it. He wasn't even sure if he'd meant it- okay, yes, he had meant it, but that didn't mean he was ready to tell her or that she felt the same way. She was incredible, beautiful, powerful, intelligent, snarky, quiet, mysterious, surprisingly caring, and confident in nearly every aspect of life- and he was… Beast Boy. Pointy ears and bad jokes.

He kicked away the sheets and rose, pledging to make his bed later, and staggered to his door. Going back to sleep wasn't an option; he knew this from the night before. So downstairs he could find something to eat, and some videogames, and-

Hand on the doorknob, Beast Boy stared into Raven's large eyes. "Hey, um… morning?" he offered her a grin, feeling his recently calmed heart begin to race again.

Raven dropped her hand, which had been poised to knock, and stumbled out her own greeting. She hadn't really intended to knock, expected to chicken out, and wasn't really prepared to have him standing before her. "Why are you up?"

"Still having trouble sleeping. Weird dreams. You?"

"Oh, um, I just… figured you'd be… needing company…" _Fast asleep_, her mind complained, _and not giving me every option to ask you what it was you actually said when I left earlier. Because even in my dreams I found myself wondering._

He smiled at her, ignoring her obvious lie, and pulled her close to bury his face in her hair. "I really think I do."

She hugged him back, briefly, and stepped away, glad for the darkness so that he couldn't see her blush. Whether he'd said what she thought he might have said or not, it had made her realize that she felt the same way.

Green fingers slipped through hers, and she let herself be led down to the main room. She closed her eyes tightly, trusting him completely, and mentally urged herself to just ask him. "BeastBoywhatdidyousayjustbeforeIleft?" she blurted, eyes snapping back open. They had just entered the main room, light from the clear night streaming in through the tall windows.

He stopped abruptly, causing Raven to run into his back. "What?" Beast Boy frowned and looked down at her. The light threw strange, angular shadows across his face, making him look like an entirely different person- and for a just a moment she thought he might be, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She felt an otherworldly presence looking through his eyes…

A cloud passed in front of the moon, plunging them into darkness, and the spell was broken. She felt him shiver, draw her closer. "Just got cold in here, didn't it?"

"Yeah…" Raven trailed off, mind filled with thoughts of all the blank eyed people she'd seen on the way home from the mall. Had she really been imagining things then, or was she still imagining things now?

She shook off her misgivings, moving away from him to flick on the lights. Orange artificial light blazed down from above, completely banishing any thoughts of creeping specters in the darkness, and she turned to face him- though she dropped her eyes from his, nervously. "Before… I was just asking what it was that you'd said before I left. Because when you said it I wasn't really listening, and later I started wondering... I thought that maybe you'd said…"

Beast Boy laughed nervously, almost wishing she'd left the lights off. Confessions were easier to make in the dark. "That I loved you? Because I did."

Her eyes flicked up, wide with surprise, and she nervously, quietly asked, "Did you mean it?"

There was a part of him that hated to see her so insecure, but another part of him felt a degree of pride it was for him that she was going so crazy. The last part of him felt guilty for the second part. He nodded, wondering what it was he normally did with his arms. Beast Boy settled for crossing them over his chest.

Raven mimicked the action, suddenly feeling like the tank top and shorts she'd changed into before going to bed were too revealing. She wished she had her cloak.

He cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. "Raven, um, look, I know that you- I mean, you don't have to- look, it's okay if you don't feel the same way. I mean, come on, I have pointy ears!" Beast Boy's attempt at a joke fell flat, even to his own ears. He was so busy berating himself that he nearly missed her response.

"I didn't say that."

Beast Boy swallowed heavily. "You mean that you…"

"Like your pointy ears?" she smirked. "Yes, I do, actually." She stepped forward, hugging him tightly. "I'm bad with expressing affection, Beast Boy," she whispered, "so just give me a little time."

"Take all the time you need," he promised, returning her hug. "You should go back to sleep."

She shook her head, pulling away to lead him to the couch. "You said you needed company."

"Yeah, but you-"

"Sit."

"Okay."

She curled into his side, pulling his arm about her shoulder. "We should put in a movie."

"Which one?"

"Beauty and the Beast."

Beast Boy's laughter was loud enough to bring Robin down to yell at them to go to sleep.

He and Raven were still on the couch when the others came down for breakfast. He was sprawled across the couch with her asleep and perched somewhat precariously on top of him, his green arms keeping her from falling off. He'd never quite fallen back asleep, drifting back and forth over the threshold of consciousness. Each time the dreams had begun to creep towards him, the anchoring weight of her on his chest had brought him back.

He turned, hearing their footsteps on the stairs, and carefully rearranged his grip in order to place a finger to his lips. "Let her sleep," he called softly, and was rewarded by three thumbs up and a few amused glances.

Carefully sliding Raven so that her elbow wasn't pressing into his kidney, Beast Boy settled back with a content smile on his face and closed his eyes.

Starfire nudged Robin, giggling quietly and murmuring, "They have the "adorableness," yes?"

"Well, um, that's not exactly a manly observation, so it's not like I-" Robin broke off at Starfire's knowing look. "Okay, yes," he admitted. "They are adorable."

Cyborg snorted, but didn't dispute the claim. Voice as quiet as he could manage, "What do you have planned for training today?"

Beast Boy, one pointed ear tuned attentively to their conversation, wondered how he could possibly have more terrible dreams when he felt this happy. He yawned, her soft and rhythmic snoring lulling him into a stupor.

"Well, I've been thinking that we need some practice against some people who actually fight back, not just some kind of obstacle course or whatever- no offense to your hard work in building them, Cy, but it's not the same- so I called-"

"Bumblebee?" The large, muscular youth's eagerness was evident in his tone, though he attempted to sound blasé.

"Yeah, but Titans East have actually got some stuff going down this week; they're hearing some chatter floating around about a mole people revolution…"

Robin's voice faded to a low buzz as Beast Boy sank into the inviting arms of sleep. The peaceful blackness was welcome after two nights in a row of barely four hours of sleep. His last reservations faded away… The nightmares were-

He couldn't see anything, simply felt cold hands groping for his soul, heard quiet and mocking laughter…

Robin broke off from describing how he'd hit a dead end with Jinx and Kid Flash, a dynamic duo of a superhero team, discovering they had recently dropped off the map after their engagement had placed a bounty on Jinx's head. "Is it just me or did Raven's snoring just get more… _menacing_?"

"Dude, that ain't Rae snoring, that's BB growling," Cyborg observed, exchanging a concerned glance with Robin.

As they spoke, the changeling yelped, a sound much like a dog in pain, and gave a spasm so violent that Raven slid off the couch, awakening as she abruptly hit the floor. She sat up, bleary eyed and wondering at how bright it was- she never slept this late; the sky was generally still grey when she rose. Her attention was soon drawn to other things, however, as Beast Boy- still asleep- morphed through four or five forms in rapid succession, swatting and struggling against some unknown menace.

Raven, focusing solely on her convulsing boyfriend and ignoring the other Titans, closed her eyes to reach out to him both mentally and physically. Her fingertips felt him flinch away, unable to distinguish her touch from the depths of his dream, but her mind went almost unnoticed. She couldn't see exactly what he was seeing (subconsciously, he seemed to be holding her back) but she could feel the precipice upon which he stood. Cold hands reached for him, threatening to drag him off the edge- and even as he fought, he reached out to them, too.

Raven opened her eyes, sensing somehow that there was a barrier between him and the snatching hands, that he couldn't fall over the edge- yet. She reached for his shoulder, shaking him gently and calling out his name. Her voice carried through the fog, but the dream still hung heavy about his mind as he awoke. Morphing into a green cat, he leapt backward, hissing furiously.

Green eyes locked with violet. He leapt forward, morphing in the air, front paws catching her shoulder and pressing her backwards until he- human he- was pinning her to the ground, green eyes lit with worry. "Did I hurt you?"

"What?" Raven squirmed, shoving against him. "Beast Boy-"

"I didn't think I would have another one, Rae, not with- and I wouldn't have let myself go to sleep if I'd realized- Raven, did I hurt you?" he demanded, sitting up so that he could study her anxiously.

"No! You didn't! Beast Boy, what was that?!"

"We'd like to know, too," Robin interjected, drawing the two's attention to the fact that the other Titans were in the room. "When you said you were having trouble sleeping, I thought that meant you were having insomnia or…" he glanced at Raven, who drew her arms about her chest while giving him a devilish glare, "something. Not some kind of fit."

"Beast Boy, why did you worry so profoundly that you had hurt Raven?" Starfire asked, solemnly, causing the shapeshifter to look away from the group and mumbled something under his breath.

"Beast Boy?" Raven prompted softly, setting a hand on his shoulder.

With a groan, he rose to his feet, extending a hand to help Raven up. "I think it would be easier to show you."

"Show us what?" Cyborg demanded, but Beast Boy just shook his head and motioned for them to follow. He lead the others up to his room, keeping Raven's hand clasped in his the entire distance- she would normally have pulled away, but she needed the reassurance as much as he did. He was worrying her.

"It started almost three weeks ago, a few nights after that battle with the ghost wizard dude… It wasn't that bad at first, I didn't start losing sleep until about a week and a half ago. But the dreams got worse- not that I would know, since I can never remember them after I wake up, except for… well. Take a look." Beast Boy pushed open his door.

They filed in around him, Raven's hand slipping from his as he remained on the threshold, leaning against it with his eyes averted in a small degree of shame. Robin flicked on the light.

The room was thrown into sharp relief, fluorescent lights reaching their bright fingers into every corner and crevice. He heard the sharp intake of breath, the measured footsteps as his teammates turned to survey the carnage. The torn pillows and claw marks on the walls. The broken lamp, overturned bookshelf (containing mainly comics and video game cases).

Then the rattling began. Beast Boy straightened abruptly, frowning, and stepped through the black film that crept over the floor and the walls. Raven stood in the center of his room, eyes closed and fists clenched, attempting to regain control of the anger that had every item in the room about to explode. The others stood quietly, frightened to break her concentration or accidently focus her fury on them, and he stepped forward to set a hand on her shoulder.

"Raven, calm down," he murmured. "They're just dream-"

"NO!" The metal frame of his bed bent in half. She spun to face him, eyes glowing black with power. "They're not just dreams, Beast Boy, I saw it. You held me back, but I saw enough to know that there is someone out there targeting you!"

He drew her in, burying his face in her hair, and she melted into him, the darkness fading from the room.

No one spoke- no one knew what to say. What could they say? The Titans were used to facing their problems head on, to punching and kicking and shooting their way to victory. They didn't know how to deal with a mysterious force characterized only by nightmares and darkness.

Finally Robin cleared his throat, ushering his team out of Beast Boy's room. "Let's… let's go get pizza, okay? We can relax a little, try to figure out how to deal with this."

"Do you not think it is early yet for pizza?" Starfire asked, but as her green eyes swept across the downtrodden faces of her friends, she rescinded her objections. Pizza made everything better.

Raven carried Cyborg across the water and Starfire carried Robin, allowing the understandably exhausted Beast Boy with only his own weight to support. He opted for the form of a hawk, letting the thermals carry him rather than his own strength.

Cyborg touched down first, nearly falling backwards as Raven let him go before his legs were quite situated. She had donned blue jeans, t-shirt, and cloak before leaving, and as her feet touched down she brushed back her hood. Purple eyes watched Beast Boy draw closer, her normal protective instincts doubled by the revelations of that morning and the night before. He shifted back as he touched down, gracing her with his typical toothy grin.

Raven's responding smile never made it to her face as she suddenly saw him again at the edge of that precipice- and this time, he stepped over the edge.


End file.
